Reply #36: Kerry took notes because ... [View All]

[Davis_X_Machina]

... he's a trained debater, from HS onwards.

He was trained, as all my debaters were trained, to take notes because in debate, if you get up and say "My opponent said X", and he did not in fact say X, you lose the round right there.

You can pull that shit in a stump speech, but not in debate.

Think about it.

There are only two reasons why one would say "My opponent said X" when he did not in fact say X, and they're both lethal.

A. You're a liar -- and ipso facto a lousy debater -- you lose.
B. You weren't listening -- and ipso facto a lousy debater -- you lose.

Novice HS debaters learn this in September of freshman year: 'Flow or die, baby, flow or die.'

Against my own sophomores, George Bush wouldn't make it into rebuttals -- and as a judge I would have stopped taking notes, capped my pen and just watched (a very bad sign from a judge) after 20 minutes.